on September 9, 2026
Property Management Articles A standard apartment make-ready costs $3,000–$5,000 per unit, including labor, materials, and lost rent during vacancy. Light turns (touch-up paint, basic cleaning, minor repairs) run $1,500–$3,000. Heavy turns with flooring replacement and appliance work hit $8,000–$12,000+. The industry average across U.S. multifamily sits at $3,976 per move-out, according to Zego’s 2026 Resident Experience Management Report.
Most property managers can quote the make-ready cost on a specific unit they’re working on right now. Almost none can tell you what the category-level spend looks like across their portfolio, how much went to paint versus flooring versus appliances versus the rent lost while the unit sat vacant. That gap is where the budget actually leaks.
This article gives you the full breakdown: what’s inside the $3,976 industry-average figure, what each category costs per turn, the difference between a light turn and a heavy turn, and where the highest-leverage cost reductions actually sit. For the broader definition of the make-ready process and how it differs from the full turnover lifecycle, see Lula’s hub guide on the make-ready process, and the companion piece on make-ready vs. apartment turnover.
Total Cost vs. Just the Work
The headline make-ready number covers far more than labor.
Zego’s 2026 Resident Experience Management Report pegs the industry-average cost of an apartment turnover at $3,976 per move-out. The same report finds it takes an average of 19 months to recover that cost. That figure includes four components:
- Direct make-ready labor and materials: cleaning, paint, flooring, appliances, repairs
- Lost rent during vacancy, usually the single largest line item
- Marketing and leasing costs: listing fees, advertising, leasing commissions
- Concessions, free rent or move-in discounts to close the next lease
For a $1,500-per-month unit sitting vacant for 14 days at a typical make-ready cost of $2,000 in labor and materials, the math works out to roughly $700 in lost rent, $2,000 in direct cost, $200 in marketing and listing, and $200 in lease concessions, $3,100 total. That tracks with the $3,000–$5,000 standard-turn range most operators see.
Direct-work costs stay relatively stable turn to turn, while the rent lost during vacancy is the component that pushes total turnover cost up.
The takeaway: the biggest savings come from reducing days vacant, which compresses the lost-rent component without touching labor or materials, rather than from squeezing per-trade pricing.
Cost Breakdown by Category
The seven categories below cover roughly 90% of direct make-ready spend. Ranges reflect what property managers running portfolio-scale work typically pay; individual landlord pricing is often 20–40% higher because volume and standardized scope drive down per-unit cost.
Cleaning ($150–$400 per turn)
A standard move-out deep clean for an empty 800–1,000 sq ft apartment runs $120–$420, per HomeAdvisor’s 2025 apartment cleaning data, or roughly $0.15–$0.30 per square foot for a standard clean, per HireAHelper’s 2026 data. Single-family rentals and larger units run higher. Property managers using a single cleaning vendor at scale typically negotiate $150–$200 flat-rate per turn.
Paint ($150–$5,400 per turn)
The range is wide because the scope is wide. Touch-up only (small wall marks, scuffs around doorways) runs $150–$400 in labor and materials. Full repaint of walls and ceilings on a 900 sq ft unit runs $1,800–$5,400 at $2–$6 per square foot, per HomeAdvisor’s 2026 interior painting data. Labor is 75–95% of a paint project’s cost; using standardized property colors reduces material and prep time meaningfully.
Flooring ($150–$8,000+ per turn)
The cheapest option is professional carpet cleaning, which runs $120–$240 per turn on average, per Angi’s 2026 carpet cleaning data. Carpet replacement runs $3–$11 per square foot installed, per HomeAdvisor’s 2026 carpet data; luxury vinyl plank (LVP) runs $4–$11 per square foot installed depending on grade, per HomeGuide’s 2026 LVP data. A full LVP install on a 900 sq ft unit at the mid-range typically lands $4,500–$7,000. Removal of old flooring adds $0.50–$2.00 per square foot. Flooring is the single biggest swing line in the make-ready budget.
Appliances ($0–$3,000+ per turn)
Most turns require service and cleaning, not replacement. When replacement is needed, expect roughly $700–$1,600 installed for a range, $600–$2,300 for a refrigerator, $400–$800 for a dishwasher, and $1,000–$2,300 for a washer/dryer set, with a standard replacement cycle of 10–15 years per appliance, per HomeGuide’s 2026 appliance price data. Most make-readies don’t trigger replacement.
Plumbing and Electrical ($100–$600 per turn)
Minor fixture repairs (faucet washers, drain unclogs, outlet replacements) run $100–$200. Larger items like a leaking shower valve or a tripping GFCI circuit run $300–$600. Anything bigger than this usually gets pulled out of the make-ready scope and into a separate capex repair.
Drywall and Hardware ($150–$1,500 per turn)
Small drywall patches (doorknob and picture-hanger holes) run roughly $20–$120 each; larger holes or wall sections run $50–$200 per location, and a full professional repair averages $612 nationally, per HomeAdvisor’s 2026 drywall repair data. Hardware replacement, broken blinds, door stops, cabinet pulls, typically adds $100–$300 in materials per turn at portfolio scale.
HVAC ($75–$450 per turn)
Filter replacement is a $20–$50 item; an HVAC diagnostic or service-call fee runs $75–$200, and a service call that includes a minor repair runs $150–$450, per HomeGuide’s 2026 HVAC repair data. Skipping HVAC servicing during the make-ready is one of the most expensive shortcuts in residential rental management, a missed issue surfaces as a resident work order within the first 60 days.
Light, Standard, and Heavy Turn: Real-World Cost Examples
Most operators benchmark a “standard turn” as their default, but actual unit cost varies more by scope than most teams realize. The three examples below assume a 900 sq ft 1-bedroom apartment and reflect direct labor and materials only (not lost rent).
| Light turn | Standard turn | Heavy turn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scope | Touch-up paint, deep clean, minor repairs | Wall repaint, deep clean, plumbing fixes, small drywall patches | Full repaint, flooring replacement, appliance work, larger drywall repairs |
| Cleaning | $150 | $200 | $250 |
| Paint | $300 | $1,500 | $2,800 |
| Flooring | $200 (carpet clean) | $300 (carpet clean) | $5,500 (LVP install) |
| Appliances | $50 (service) | $100 (service) | $1,200 (1 replacement) |
| Plumbing / Electrical | $150 | $300 | $500 |
| Drywall / Hardware | $100 | $400 | $1,000 |
| HVAC | $75 | $200 | $300 |
| Direct cost subtotal | ~$1,025 | ~$3,000 | ~$11,550 |
| Add: lost rent (14 days at $1,500/mo) | $700 | $700 | $1,400 (28 days) |
| Add: marketing + leasing | $200 | $400 | $600 |
| Total turn cost | ~$1,925 | ~$4,100 | ~$13,550 |
Three observations: paint and flooring drive most of the direct-cost variance; lost rent is a larger share of light-turn cost than operators usually expect; and heavy turns at $13,550 are still well below renovation-level work, which typically lands $15,000–$30,000+ and should be scoped as a capital project rather than a make-ready.
The Hidden Cost: Days Vacant
In most make-readies, the rent that never comes in while the unit sits empty is the largest cost, larger than labor or materials.
At $1,500 monthly rent, every addn more than the cleaning line item. On a 200-unit portfolio with 100 turns a year, ten days of avoidable vacancy across the portfolio is $50,000 in lost annual revenue.
This is why turnaround time matters as much as line-item pricing. Cutting paint cost by $200 per unit saves $20,000 across 100 turns. Cutting average days vacant by ten days saves $50,000 with the same operational change.
For how long a make-ready should take, see how long does a make-ready take.
In-House vs. Multiple Vendors vs. All-in-One: Cost Comparison
Three operating models for make-ready work, each with a different cost structure:
| In-house technicians | Multiple outside vendors | All-in-one managed partner (Lula) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per-turn labor cost | Low (sunk cost in salaries) | Medium-high (markup per vendor) | Medium (flat-rate, all-in) |
| Coordination cost | Hidden, pulled off resident work orders | High: 3–5 vendors per turn | Low: single point of contact |
| Days vacant | 7–14 days typical | 7–21 days typical | 3-5 days typical |
| Quality consistency | Variable by team | Variable by vendor | Standardized scope and QA |
| Best for | Small portfolios with light turn volume | Properties with heavy turns and mature scheduling | Portfolios with concentrated turn periods or limited internal capacity |
The hidden cost in the in-house model is the resident work-order backlog that builds while techs are pulled into make-readies. The hidden cost in the multi-vendor model is coordination lag, the time between trades, which is almost always larger than the time inside each trade.
The all-in-one managed model trades a higher direct-work line item for compressed days vacant and lower coordination overhead. Best-practice make-ready benchmarks land at 5–7 days. On a 200-unit portfolio turning at the national average of roughly 50% a year, and at a national multifamily asking rent near $1,744/month, per the Zillow Observed Rent Index (2026), compressing make-ready to Lula property maintenance’s 3–5 days recovers roughly $9,000–$15,000 in annual rent on the make-ready lever alone, often more than the model premium. See the make-ready service for Lula’s flat-rate scope and a free inspection quote.
How to Reduce Make-Ready Costs Without Cutting Corners
Cost reduction in make-readies works in three categories, in rough order of impact:
- Reduce days vacant: This is the largest cost line in most turns. Tactics: start the turnover at notice rather than move-out, pre-lease aggressively during the notice window, compress the make-ready to 3-5 days, and hold a tight SLA on the leasing-and-screening tail.
- Reduce per-category direct cost without quality loss: Standardize paint colors and flooring SKUs across the portfolio. Volume pricing on a single SKU is meaningfully cheaper than spot pricing per turn. Negotiate flat-rate maintenance pricing for cleaning at the vendor level rather than per-job hourly billing. Stage common parts (filters, blinds, hardware) at the property to eliminate parts-delivery lag.
- Set repair-versus-replace standards once: Minor wall marks get touch-up paint, not full repaint. Normal-wear carpet gets cleaned, not replaced. Appliances get serviced, not replaced, until the 10–15 year mark. Standards eliminate the mid-turn hesitation that pauses crews and adds days vacant. Build them into a standardized punch list: see the complete apartment make-ready checklist for the room-by-room scope every turn should run through.
The lowest-leverage cost-reduction tactic is cutting scope: skipping HVAC service, skipping cleaning items, deferring small drywall patches. The savings on these line items are small ($50–$200 per turn), and they almost always reappear as resident work orders or move-out damage claims within 60 days. Don’t cut scope; tighten coordination.
Building a Predictable Make-Ready Budget
Controlling make-ready cost comes down to three moves. Define done before anyone starts. Standardize scope and SKUs across the portfolio. Compress the days a unit sits vacant. The operators who hold their turn budgets steady treat lost rent as the line that matters most. They run a tight, repeatable punch list on every unit, so no trade waits on the one before it.
For one inspection, one punch list, and one predictable invoice on every turn, Get Started with a make-ready plan built for your portfolio.
Make-Ready Cost FAQs
How much does a typical apartment make-ready cost?
A standard apartment make-ready costs $3,000–$5,000 per unit, including direct labor, materials, and lost rent during vacancy. The industry average sits at $3,976 per move-out, according to Zego’s 2026 Resident Experience Management Report. Light turns (touch-up only) run $1,500–$3,000. Heavy turns with flooring replacement and appliance work run $8,000–$12,000+.
What does the $3,976 industry-average figure include?
The $3,976 figure includes four cost components: direct make-ready labor and materials (cleaning, paint, flooring, appliances, repairs), lost rent during vacancy, marketing and leasing costs, and lease concessions to close the next resident. The labor-and-materials component is usually $2,000–$3,000 of that total; the rest is rent loss, marketing, and concessions combined.
What is the most expensive line item in a make-ready?
The largest cost is usually lost rent during vacancy, which typically exceeds direct labor or materials. At $1,500 monthly rent and a 14-day turn, lost rent is $700, often larger than the cleaning, paint, or HVAC line items individually. Flooring replacement is the largest single direct-cost line when it happens (often $5,000–$8,000+), but flooring isn’t replaced in most turns.
How can property managers reduce make-ready costs?
The highest-impact lever is reducing days vacant, which compresses lost rent without changing direct-cost spend. Tactics: start turnover work at notice, pre-lease during the notice window, compress the make-ready itself to 72 hours, and hold a tight SLA on application review and lease drafting. Standardizing paint colors and flooring SKUs across the portfolio is the second-highest lever.
Should I outsource make-readies or run them in-house?
It depends on portfolio size and turn volume. In-house works well for small portfolios with light turn volume and consistent capacity. Multiple outside vendors work for properties with heavy turns and mature scheduling discipline. An all-in-one managed partner (one inspection, one punch list, one invoice) wins on portfolios with concentrated turn periods, limited internal capacity, or three or more vendors required per turn. The deciding factor is usually whether vendor coordination time exceeds the margin a managed partner adds to direct costs.
ding factor is usually whether vendor coordination time exceeds the margin a managed partner adds to direct costs.
Anything found written in this article was written solely for informational purposes. We advise that you receive professional advice if you plan to move forward with any of the information found. You agree that neither Lula or the author are liable for any damages that arise from the use of the information found within this article
